Fluidity of natural membranes and phosphatidylserine and ganglioside dispersions. Effect of local anesthetics, cholesterol and protein

Sea Anemones, Actinoporins, and Cholesterol

Spanish or Spanish-speaking scientists represent a remarkably populated group within the scientific community studying pore-forming proteins. Some of these scientists, ourselves included, focus on the study of actinoporins, a fascinating group of metamorphic pore-forming proteins produced within the venom of several sea anemones. These toxic proteins can spontaneously transit from a water-soluble fold to an integral membrane ensemble because they specifically recognize sphingomyelin in the membrane. Once they bind to the bilayer, they subsequently oligomerize into a pore that triggers cell-death by osmotic shock. In addition to sphingomyelin, some actinoporins are especially sensible to some other membrane components such as cholesterol. Our group from Universidad Complutense of Madrid has focused greatly on the role played by sterols in this water–membrane transition, a question which still remains only partially solved and constitutes the main core of the article below.

Structural foundations of sticholysin functionality

Actinoporins constitute a family of α pore-forming toxins produced by sea anemones. The soluble fold of these proteins consists of a β-sandwich flanked by two α-helices. Actinoporins exert their activity by specifically recognizing sphingomyelin at their target membranes. Once there, they penetrate the membrane with their N-terminal α-helices, a process that leads to the formation of cation-selective pores. These pores kill the target cells by provoking an osmotic shock on them. In this review, we examine the role and relevance of the structural features of actinoporins, down to the residue level. We look at the specific amino acids that play significant roles in the function of actinoporins and their fold. Particular emphasis is given to those residues that display a high degree of conservation across the actinoporin sequences known to date. In light of the latest findings in the field, the membrane requirements for pore formation, the effect of lipid composition, and the process of pore formation are also discussed.

Mechanism of local anesthetic-induced disruption of raft-like ordered membrane domains

BACKGROUND

Because ordered membrane domains, called lipid rafts, regulate activation of ion channels related to the nerve pulse, lipids rafts are thought to be a possible target for anesthetic molecules. To understand the mechanism of anesthetic action, we examined influence of representative local anesthetics (LAs); dibucaine, tetracaine, and lidocaine, on raft-like liquid-ordered (L_o)/non-raft-like liquid-disordered (L_d) phase separation.

METHODS

Impact of LAs on the phase separation was observed by fluorescent microscopy. LA-induced perturbation of the L_o and L_d membranes was examined by DPH anisotropy measurements. Incorporation of LAs to the membranes was examined by fluorescent anisotropy of LAs. The biding location of the LAs was indicated by small angle x-ray diffraction (SAXD).

RESULTS

Fluorescent experiments showed that dibucaine eliminated the phase separation the most effectively, followed by tetracaine and lidocaine. The disruption of the phase separation can be explained by their disordering effects on the L_o membrane. SAXD and other experiments further suggested that dibucaine's most potent perturbation of the L_o membrane is attributable to its deeper immersion and bulky molecular structure. Tetracaine, albeit immersed in the L_o membrane as deeply as dibucaine, less perturbs the L_o membrane probably because of its smaller bulkiness. Lidocaine hardly reaches the hydrophobic region, resulting in the weakest L_o membrane perturbation.

CONCLUSION

Dibcaine perturbs the L_o membrane the most effectively, followed by tetracaine and lidocaine. This ranking correlates with their anesthetic potency.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

This study suggests a possible mechanistic link between anesthetic action and perturbation of lipid rafts.

Targeted fluorescence lifetime probes reveal responsive organelle viscosity and membrane fluidity

The only way to visually observe cellular viscosity, which can greatly influence biological reactions and has been linked to several human diseases, is through viscosity imaging. Imaging cellular viscosity has allowed the mapping of viscosity in cells, and the next frontier is targeted viscosity imaging of organelles and their microenvironments. Here we present a fluorescent molecular rotor/FLIM framework to image both organellar viscosity and membrane fluidity, using a combination of chemical targeting and organelle extraction. For demonstration, we image matrix viscosity and membrane fluidity of mitochondria, which have been linked to human diseases, including Alzheimer's Disease and Leigh's syndrome. We find that both are highly dynamic and responsive to small environmental and physiological changes, even under non-pathological conditions. This shows that neither viscosity nor fluidity can be assumed to be fixed and underlines the need for single-cell, and now even single-organelle, imaging.

Antibodies against gangliosides in patients with dementia

BACKGROUND

Increasing evidence suggests that gangliosides act as important mediators in both de- and remyelination. The scope of the present research was to investigate the presence of immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibodies against GM1, GD1b, and GQ1b gangliosides in the sera of patients with dementia and the possible connection with clinical parameters of the disease.

METHOD

This research topic demonstrates the investigation of 103 patients with dementia and 60 healthy individuals using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the presence of 3 antiganglioside antibodies in their sera.

RESULTS

The authors report a positive connection between IgM anti-GM1 and the age (P = .005) and the severity of dementia (P = .005). Most of the patients who revealed increased IgM anti-GD1b levels had Alzheimer's disease (AD; P = .002).

CONCLUSION

This study indicates that elevated IgM anti-GM1 may be connected with the neurodegeneration in older patients with severe dementia and that AD may also be associated with increased IgM anti-GD1b levels.

Defensins: antifungal lessons from eukaryotes

Over the last years, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been the focus of intense research toward the finding of a viable alternative to current antifungal drugs. Defensins are one of the major families of AMPs and the most represented among all eukaryotic groups, providing an important first line of host defense against pathogenic microorganisms. Several of these cysteine-stabilized peptides present a relevant effect against fungi. Defensins are the AMPs with the broader distribution across all eukaryotic kingdoms, namely, Fungi, Plantae, and Animalia, and were recently shown to have an ancestor in a bacterial organism. As a part of the host defense, defensins act as an important vehicle of information between innate and adaptive immune system and have a role in immunomodulation. This multidimensionality represents a powerful host shield, hard for microorganisms to overcome using single approach resistance strategies. Pathogenic fungi resistance to conventional antimycotic drugs is becoming a major problem. Defensins, as other AMPs, have shown to be an effective alternative to the current antimycotic therapies, demonstrating potential as novel therapeutic agents or drug leads. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge on some eukaryotic defensins with antifungal action. An overview of the main targets in the fungal cell and the mechanism of action of these AMPs (namely, the selectivity for some fungal membrane components) are presented. Additionally, recent works on antifungal defensins structure, activity, and cytotoxicity are also reviewed.

Fungal glucosylceramides: from structural components to biologically active targets of new antimicrobials

The first work reporting synthesis of glucosylceramide (cerebrin, GlcCer) by yeasts was published in 1930. During approximately 70 years members of this class of glycosphingolipids (GSL) were considered merely structural components of plasma membrane in fungi. However, in the last decade GlcCer was reported to be involved with fungal growth, differentiation, virulence, immunogenicity, and lipid raft architecture in at least two human pathogens. Fungal GlcCer are structurally distinct from their mammalian counterparts and enriched at the cell wall, which makes this molecule an effective target for antifungal activity of specific ligands (peptides and antibodies to GlcCer). Therefore, GSL are promising targets for new drugs to combat fungal diseases. This review discusses the most recent information on biosynthesis and role of GlcCer in fungal pathogens.

Interactions of anesthetics with their targets: non-specific, specific or both?

What makes a general anesthetic a general anesthetic? We shall review first what general anesthesia is all about and which drugs are being used as anesthetics. There is neither a unique definition of general anesthesia nor any consensus on how to measure it. Diverse drugs and combinations of drugs generate general anesthetic states of sometimes very different clinical quality. Yet the principal drugs are still considered to belong to the same class of 'general anesthetics'. Effective concentrations of inhalation anesthetics are in the high micromolar range and above, and even for intravenous anesthetics they do not go below the micromolar range. At these concentrations, many molecular and higher level targets are affected by inhalation anesthetics, fewer probably by intravenous anesthetics. The only physicochemical characteristic shared by anesthetics is the correlation of their anesthetic potencies with hydrophobicity. These correlations depend on the group of general anesthetics considered. In this review, anesthetic potencies for many different targets are plotted against octanol/water partition coefficients as measure of hydrophobicity. Qualitatively, similar correlations result, suggesting several but weak interactions with proteins as being characteristic of anesthetic actions. The polar interactions involved are weak, being roughly equal in magnitude to hydrophobic interactions. Generally, intravenous anesthetics are noticeably more potent than inhalation anesthetics. They differ considerably more between each other in their interactions with various targets than inhalation anesthetics do, making it difficult to come to a decision which of these should be used in future studies as representative 'prototypical general anesthetics'.

Cytoplasmic molecular delivery with shock waves: importance of impulse

Cell permeabilization using shock waves may be a way of introducing macromolecules and small polar molecules into the cytoplasm, and may have applications in gene therapy and anticancer drug delivery. The pressure profile of a shock wave indicates its energy content, and shock-wave propagation in tissue is associated with cellular displacement, leading to the development of cell deformation. In the present study, three different shock-wave sources were investigated; argon fluoride excimer laser, ruby laser, and shock tube. The duration of the pressure pulse of the shock tube was 100 times longer than the lasers. The uptake of two fluorophores, calcein (molecular weight: 622) and fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran (molecular weight: 71,600), into HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells was investigated. The intracellular fluorescence was measured by a spectrofluorometer, and the cells were examined by confocal fluorescence microscopy. A single shock wave generated by the shock tube delivered both fluorophores into approximately 50% of the cells (p < 0.01), whereas shock waves from the lasers did not. The cell survival fraction was >0.95. Confocal microscopy showed that, in the case of calcein, there was a uniform fluorescence throughout the cell, whereas, in the case of FITC-dextran, the fluorescence was sometimes in the nucleus and at other times not. We conclude that the impulse of the shock wave (i.e., the pressure integrated over time), rather than the peak pressure, was a dominant factor for causing fluorophore uptake into living cells, and that shock waves might have changed the permeability of the nuclear membrane and transferred molecules directly into the nucleus.

Comparisons of the relative effects of polyhydroxyl compounds on local versus long-range motions in the mitochondrial inner membrane. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching, fluorescence lifetime, and fluorescence anisotropy studies

This laboratory has been interested in understanding the relationship between molecular motion and electron transport rates in the mitochondrial inner membrane. We have previously noted a sucrose-induced decrease in both multicomponent electron transport rates and lateral diffusion of redox components. The decreases in lateral diffusion and the related mobile fraction of redox components were greater than expected from hydrodynamic theory. In this report we sought to understand how the presence of increasing aqueous concentrations of polyhydroxyl agents affect short-range motions in different regions of the inner membrane bilayer, frequently expressed in terms of 'viscosity' and order, compared to lateral diffusion. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching was used to monitor long-range phospholipid and integral protein diffusion. Multifrequency fluorescence lifetime and steady-state fluorescence anisotropy techniques were used to monitor local dynamics of diphenylhexatriene (DPH) and trimethylaminodiphenylhexatriene (TMA-DPH). Light scattering corrections were found to be essential for inner membrane measurements by the latter two techniques. DPH and TMA-DPH each exhibited two-lifetime components. Generally, increasing the aqueous concentration of polyhydroxyl agents decreased the average DPH lifetime and increased the average TMA-DPH lifetime. In general, under the same conditions fluorescence anisotropies increased. Our results indicated that changes in the rotational diffusion coefficient, microviscosity and order were being induced at both the phospholipid headgroup and in the acyl chain regions of the membrane bilayer. Our results suggest that these changes may be due in part to induced changes in the interaction and distribution of water with membranes. Long-range lateral diffusion was found to be significantly retarded by increasing concentrations of polyhydroxyl agents. We conclude that the discrepancies between bulk viscosity predicted decreases in long-range diffusion may result, in part, from the aforementioned membrane/water interactions. We also note an apparent qualitative relationship between long-range lateral diffusion reported diffusion coefficient with local TMA-DPH reported rotational diffusion coefficient and apparent microviscosities.

Inhibition of cytochrome-P450 reductase by polyols has an electrostatic nature

The present study was undertaken to examine the nature of the inhibitory action of glycerol on the liver microsomal monooxygenase system. In agreement with earlier observations, glycerol inhibited benzphetamine N-demethylation by liver microsomes of the phenobarbital-treated rabbit. The presence of glycerol in the medium did not affect binding of the substrate to cytochrome P450. Another polyol, ethylene glycol, was equally efficient in inhibiting benzphetamine N-demethylation. Both also inhibited reduction of rabbit cytochrome P450 LM2, cytochrome c and potassium ferricyanide by NADPH-cytochrome-P450 reductase in microsomes. Recently, we showed that the stimulation of electron transfer by increased ionic strength is due to neutralization of electrostatic interaction between NADPH-cytochrome-P450 reductase and its charged redox partners [Voznesensky, A. I. & Schenkman, J. B. (1992) J. Biol. Chem. 267, 14669-14676]. Polyols have an opposite effect to that of salt on ionic properties of a solution. They decrease the dielectric constant, thereby promoting electrostatic interactions between proteins. Addition of polyols decreased the conductivity of the medium. When rates of electron transfer to charged acceptors, cytochrome P450, cytochrome c and potassium ferricyanide, at various salt and polyol concentrations, relative to activities in 200 mM sodium phosphate, were plotted as a function of the conductivity the data for each acceptor fit on the same line. In contrast, neither alteration of ionic strength nor polyol addition affected the rate of electron transfer from NADPH-cytochrome-P450 reductase to an uncharged acceptor 1,4-benzoquinone. The data obtained is consistent with our earlier suggestion that charge repulsion limits redox interactions between rabbit cytochrome P450 LM2 and its reductase at low ionic strength, and suggest that the observed action of polyols is the result of enhancement of electrostatic interactions that inhibits electron transfer between NADPH-cytochrome-P450 reductase and its charged redox partners. In congruence with the hypothesis, the Km of rabbit cytochrome P450 LM2 for NADPH-cytochrome-P450 reductase was increased almost one order of magnitude by elevating the glycerol content from 5% to 25% (by vol.) without a change in Vmax.

Comparison of perturbation effect of propranolol, verapamil, chlorpromazine and carbisocaine on lecithin liposomes and brain total lipid liposomes. An EPR spectroscopy study

Effect of verapamil, propranolol, chlorpromazine and carbisocaine on dynamics and/or order of liposomes (perturbation effect), prepared from different molar ratios of lecithin (PC) and rat brain total lipids (TL) was studied by EPR spectroscopy using spin probes 16-doxyl stearic acid and 14-doxyl phosphatidylcholine. The PC liposomes had higher dynamics and/or lower order than the TL liposomes. The perturbation effect of the drugs depended largely on the lipid composition of the liposomes. The drugs at the drug/lipid molar ratios from 0.1 to 1 increased membrane dynamics and/or decreased membrane order. The drugs had the most pronounced perturbation effect in the liposomes prepared from brain total lipids. The effect of the drugs decreased with decreasing the TL/PC ratio in the liposomes and was lowest, almost diminished, in the PC liposomes. Increasing concentration of the drugs decreased the difference between the dynamics and/or order of the PC and TL liposomes and so eliminated the influence of lipid composition on these membrane parameters. The results emphasize the role of lipid composition in studies concerning drug-lipid interactions in model and biological membranes.

Hypoxic viscosity and diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic and sickle retinopathy have features in common--for example, venous dilatation, microaneurysms, and capillary closure preceding neovascularisation. Bearing in mind that haemoglobin in poorly controlled diabetes is abnormal and that extremely low oxygen tensions (known to cause sickling) exist in the healthy cat retina, we wished to explore the possibility that diabetic blood, like that of sickle cell disease, may become more viscous when deoxygenated. To do this we measured whole blood viscosity, under oxygenated and deoxygenated conditions, of 23 normal persons, 23 diabetic patients without retinopathy, and 34 diabetic patients with retinopathy. The shear rate used was 230 s-1, which is similar to that thought to prevail in the major retinal veins. The viscosity of blood from normal persons, corrected for packed cell volume, did not change significantly on deoxygenation: mean 4.54 (SD 0.38) cps, versus, 4.57 (0.39) paired t test, p = 0.66. Similarly the blood from diabetics without retinopathy showed no change: 4.42 (0.45) versus 4.42 (0.30), p = 0.98; whereas the blood from patients with retinopathy changed from 4.82 (0.48) to 4.95 (0.63), p = 0.027. The hypoxic viscosity ratio (deoxygenated divided by oxygenated viscosity) correlated with total serum cholesterol (r = 0.44, p = 0.018) but not with HbA1, serum glucose, triglycerides, or age. A disproportionate increase in venous viscosity relative to arterial viscosity would lead to increased intraluminal and transmural pressure and therefore exacerbate leakage across capillary walls.

Critical temperatures for the interaction of free fatty acids with the erythrocyte membrane

Non-esterified long-chain fatty acids reduce the extent of hypotonic hemolysis at a certain low concentration range but cause hemolysis at higher concentrations. This biphasic behavior was investigated at different temperatures (0-37 degrees C) for lauric (12:0), myristic (14:0), palmitoleic (16:1), oleic (cis-18:1) and elaidic (trans-18:1) acids. The results are summarized as follows: (A) the fatty acids examined exhibit a high degree of specificity in their thermotropic behavior; (B) oleic acid protects against hypotonic hemolysis even at the highest concentrations, up to 15 degrees C, when it becomes hemolytic, but only in a limited concentration range; (C) elaidic acid does not affect the osmotic stability of erythrocytes up to 20 degrees C, when it starts protecting: above 30 degrees C, it becomes hemolytic at the highest concentrations; (D) palmitoleic acid is an excellent protecting agent at all temperatures in a certain concentration range, becoming hemolytic at higher concentrations; (E) lauric acid protects up to 30 degrees C and becomes hemolytic only above this temperature; (F) myristic acid exhibits an extremely unusual behavior at 30 and 37 degrees C by having alternating concentration ranges of protecting and hemolytic effects; (G) there is a common critical temperature for hemolysis at 30 degrees C for saturated and trans-unsaturated fatty acids; (H) the initial slope of Arrhenius plots of percent hemolysis at the concentration of maximum protection is negative for cis-unsaturated fatty acids and positive for saturated and trans-unsaturated fatty acids.

Spin label study of the perturbation effect of the local anaesthetics tetracaine and dibucaine on synaptosomes at pharmacological concentrations

The method of electron spin resonance spectroscopy of spin probes was used to determine the lowest concentrations of the local anaesthetics dibucaine and tetracaine exerting perturbations on synaptosome membranes. The perturbation depends on the temperature and the membrane depth, as well as on the concentration and the structure of the anaesthetics. Using spin labelled stearic acid at the 5th carbon position a negligible effect of the anaesthetics on the order parameter was found in the membrane both at 1 degree and 22 degrees, within the buffer concentration 0.01-10 mmol/l, but at 37 degrees and concentrations higher than 0.1 mmol/l the disordering effect was significant and of comparable efficiency for dibucaine and tetracaine. Employing stearic acid labelled at the 16th carbon position, disordering of the hydrocarbon core of the membrane caused by tetracaine or dibucaine was detected at 1 degree and 22 degrees, as well as at 37 degrees. The disordering effect occurred at buffer concentrations higher than 0.01 mmol/l for dibucaine, and higher than 0.1 mmol/l for tetracaine. At equal anaesthetic membrane concentrations and at the 16th carbon membrane depth, dibucaine was approximately twice as effective as tetracaine in perturbing synaptosomes. Tetracaine induced nonlamellar phases in the rat brain lipid membrane as detected by 31P NMR spectroscopy. The dynamic and structural perturbation effects of the local anaesthetics was found in that concentration range at which the anaesthetics influence various activities of biological membranes.

Enhancement of local anaesthesia action by organic acid salts. (II): Aspect of kinetics in the claw nerve membrane of crayfish

The anaesthetic action of procaine on the crayfish claw nerve was studied electrophysiologically. The onset time of conduction block (block time) was shortened and the minimum dose of procaine required for the blockade was significantly reduced in the presence of monocarboxylate anions. To investigate the mechanism of this anaesthetic enhancement, the action of procaine was considered on the basis of a simple Langmuir-type adsorption model. Rate constants in the model were estimated by observing the time course of procaine desorption from the nerve using the UV light absorption technique. The dependence of block time on procaine concentration which was simulated from the model corresponded quite well to the electrophysiological data. The model suggested the following two points. 1. The anaesthetic enhancement by some organic anions could be explained by the acceleration of procaine adsorption and lowering of the critical adsorption ratio. 2. The maximum adsorption of procaine observed was about 40 mumol per 1 g wet weight of the nerve, the value of which corresponded to 1:1 adsorption of procaine to phospholipids in the membrane.

How do the polyene macrolide antibiotics affect the cellular membrane properties?

In the 1970's great strides were made in understanding the mechanism of action of amphotericin B and nystatin: the formation of transmembrane pores was clearly demonstrated in planar lipid monolayers, in multilamellar phospholipid vesicles and in Acholeplasma laidlawii cells and the importance of the presence and of the nature of the membrane sterol was analyzed. For polyene antibiotics with shorter chains, a mechanism of membrane disruption was proposed. However, recently obtained data on unilamellar vesicles have complicated the situation. It has been shown that: membranes in the gel state (which is not common in cells), even if they do not contain sterols may be made permeable by polyene antibiotics, several mechanisms may operate, simultaneously or sequentially, depending on the antibiotic/lipid ratio, the time elapsed after mixing and the mode of addition of the antibiotic, there is a rapid exchange of the antibiotic molecules between the vesicles. Although pore formation is apparently involved in the toxicity of amphotericin B and nystatin, it is not the sole factor which contributes to cell death, since K+ leakage induced by these antibiotics is separate from their lethal action. The peroxidation of membrane lipids, which has been demonstrated for erythrocytes and Candida albicans cells in the presence of amphotericin B, may play a determining role in toxicity concurrently with colloid osmotic effect. On the other hand, it has been shown that the action of polyene antibiotics on cells is not always detrimental: at sub-lethal concentrations these drugs stimulate either the activity of some membrane enzymes or cellular metabolism. In particular, some cells of the immune system are stimulated. Furthermore, polyene antibiotics may act synergistically with other drugs, such as antitumor or antifungal compounds. This may occur either by an increased incorporation of the drug, under the influence of a polyene antibiotic-induced change of membrane potential, for example, or by a direct interaction of both drugs. That fungal membranes contain ergosterol while mammalian cell membranes contain cholesterol, has generally been considered the basis for the selective toxicity of amphotericin B and nystatin for fungi. Actually, in vitro studies have not always borne out this assumption, thereby casting doubt on the use of polyene antibiotics as antifungal agents in mammalian cell culture media.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

The random collision model and a critical assessment of diffusion and collision in mitochondrial electron transport

This review focuses on our studies over the past ten years which reveal that the mitochondrial inner membrane is a fluid-state rather than a solid-state membrane and that all membrane proteins and redox components which catalyze electron transport and ATP synthesis are in constant and independent diffusional motion. The studies reviewed represent the experimental basis for the random collision model of electron transport. We present five fundamental postulates upon which the random collision model of mitochondrial electron transport is founded: All redox components are independent lateral diffusants; Cytochrome c diffuses primarily in three dimensions; Electron transport is a diffusion-coupled kinetic process; Electron transport is a multicollisional, obstructed, long-range diffusional process; The rates of diffusion of the redox components have a direct influence on the overall kinetic process of electron transport and can be rate limiting, as in diffusion control. The experimental rationales and the results obtained in testing each of the five postulates of the random collision model are presented. In addition, we offer the basic concepts, criteria and experimental strategies that we believe are essential in considering the significance of the relationship between diffusion and electron transport. Finally, we critically explore and assess other contemporary studies on the diffusion of inner membrane components related to electron transport including studies on: rotational diffusion, immobile fractions, complex formation, dynamic aggregates, and rates of diffusion. Review of all available data confirms the random collision model and no data appear to exist that contravene it. It is concluded that mitochondrial electron transport is a diffusion-based random collision process and that diffusion has an integral and controlling affect on electron transport.

Fluorescence polarization analysis, lipid composition, and Na+, K+-ATPase kinetics of synaptosomal membranes in feline GM1 and GM2 gangliosidosis

Neurochemical studies were performed on synaptosomal membranes from cats with GM1 or GM2 gangliosidosis to examine possible mechanisms of neuronal dysfunction in these disorders. The basic hypothesis tested was that deficient ganglioside catabolism causes increased ganglioside content of synaptosomal plasma membrane which in turn disrupts normal function. Fluidity characteristics of synaptosomal membranes were examined using fluorescence polarization. Results showed markedly reduced membrane fluidity in both GM1 and GM2 gangliosidosis. These results were supported by a second study which revealed that isolated synaptosomal membranes of GM1 gangliosidosis cats had a 24-fold increase in total ganglioside content caused predominantly by excess GM1, a 2.3-fold increased cholesterol content, and a 1.4-fold increased phospholipid content. Finally, kinetic analysis of synaptosomal plasma membrane Na+,K+-ATPase from cats with GM1 gangliosidosis showed negligible differences in kinetic parameters compared with controls. Thus, the enzyme appeared protected from the global membrane changes in fluidity and composition. These observations provide evidence for a pathogenetic mechanism of neuronal dysfunction in the gangliosidoses while demonstrating protection of certain vital functional components, such as Na+,K+-ATPase.

Modulatory effects of different temperatures and Ca2+ concentrations on gangliosides and phospholipids in monolayers at air/water interfaces and their possible functional role

Gangliosides are neuraminic acid-containing glycolipids preferently localized in nervous membranes and showing physicochemical peculiarities, e.g., drastically changing amphiphilic properties by Ca2+ binding. On account of this they are favorite compounds to act as modulators of membraneous organization and functions during synaptic transmission. Lipid monolayers are suitable experimental systems for the study of the surface behavior of amphipatic molecules and therefore are useful to interpret membraneous organization. The surface pressure/area isotherms of monolayers of different individual gangliosides (GM1, GD1a, GD1b, GT1b) of an artificial reconstituted and a natural ganglioside mixture from bovine brain and of ganglioside mixtures from different brain parts of summer- and winter-adapted dsungarian hamsters were compared at three temperatures (11, 20, and 37 degrees C) with egg phosphatidylcholine (PC) and phosphatidylserine (PS) monolayers. The monolayers were formed in a Teflon trough on a triethanolamine/HCl-buffered (pH 7.4) subphase, in some cases containing different amounts of CaCl2. The surface pressure/area isotherms of ganglioside monolayers, in contrast to phospholipids, generally showed slowly rising slopes, with transitions from the liquid-expanded to the liquid-condensed state at a surface pressure of 20-30 mN/m. Ganglioside monolayers, in particular from GD1a or GT1b versus GD1b or from mixtures from summer- versus winter-adapted hamster brain, were differently affected by temperature and/or by Ca2+. PS monolayers were slightly condensed only by Ca2+. PC monolayers, however, were influenced neither by temperature nor by Ca2+. In mixed monolayers of the unpolar natural lipid cholesterol (Ch) and the disialoganglioside GD1a, intermolecular interactions were indicated. Ganglioside monolayers, in contrast to phospholipids, were shown to be easily modulated by temperature and/or Ca2+ ions, thus enabling gangliosides to act as possible membrane modulators, e.g., during synaptic transmission. In particular, the differences concerning the influences of temperature and/or Ca2+ on the surface behavior of ganglioside mixtures from the brain of summer- compared with winter-adapted hamsters are correlated with other physiologically relevant data.

Effect of chlorpromazine on lipid metabolism in aortas from cholesterol-fed rabbits and normal rats, in vitro: inhibition of sterol esterification and modification of phospholipid synthesis

Chlorpromazine (CPZ), a major tranquilizer, was found to be a potent inhibitor of acylCoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT, EC 2.3.1.26) in isolated arterial microsomes and in intact arterial tissue from the rat and cholesterol-fed rabbit in vitro. In isolated rabbit arterial microsomes, CPZ resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of ACAT with 50% inhibition of [1-14C]oleoylCoA incorporation into [14C]cholesteryl esters occurring at 0.1 mM CPZ. CPZ also effectively inhibited the incorporation of [14C]oleate into triglycerides without affecting incorporation into diglycerides. Additionally, CPZ altered the pattern of arterial phospholipids synthesized from [1-14C]oleate. Incorporation into phosphatidylcholine was depressed while incorporation into phosphatidylinositol was increased. Since diglyceride synthesis appeared to be unaffected by CPZ, a redirection of phosphatidic acid into the CDP-diglyceride pathway of glycerolipid synthesis does not adequately account for the effect of CPZ on arterial phospholipid and triglyceride synthesis in these experiments.

Lipid diffusibility in the intact erythrocyte membrane

The lateral diffusion of fluorescent lipid analogues in the plasma membrane of intact erythrocytes from man, mouse, rabbit, and frog has been measured by fluorescence photobleaching recovery (FPR). Intact cells from dystrophic, normoblastic, hemolytic, and spherocytotic mouse mutants; from hypercholesterolemic rabbits and humans; and from prenatal, neonatal, and juvenile mice have been compared with corresponding normals. The lateral diffusion coefficient (D) for 3,3'-dioctadecylindodicarbocyanine iodide (DiI[5]) in intact normal human erythrocytes is D = 8.2 +/- 1.2 X 10(-9) cm2/s at 25 degrees C and D = 2.1 +/- 0.4 X 10(-8) cm2/s at 37 degrees C, and varies approximately 50-fold between 1 degree and 42 degrees C. The diffusion constants of lipid analogue rhodamine-B phosphatidylethanolamine (RBPE) are about twice those of DiI[5]. The temperature dependence and magnitude of D vary by up to a factor of 3 between species and are only influenced by donor age in prenatals. DiI[5] diffusibility is not perturbed by the presence of calcium or local anesthetics or by spectrin depletion (via mutation). However, lipid-analogue diffusibility in erythrocyte ghosts may differ from intact cells. Dietary hypercholesterolemia in rabbits reduces the diffusion coefficient and eliminates the characteristic break in Arrhenius plots of D found in all other cells studied except frog.

Further studies on the charge-related alterations of methotrexate transport in Ehrlich ascites tumor cells by ionic liposomes: correlation with liposome-cell association

Interaction of positively (phosphatidylcholine/stearylamine 5:1) or negatively (phosphatidylcholine/stearic acid 5:1) charged liposomes with Ehrlich ascites tumor cells for 1-5 min increases or decreases, respectively, the bidirectional fluxes of the folic acid analog, methotrexate. These effects on influx and efflux appear to be symmetrical since the liposomes do not change the intracellular level of methotrexate at the steady state. Influx kinetics show that these alterations result from an increase or decrease in the Vmax with no change in the Kinm. These effects appear to be specific for the methotrexate-tetrahydrofolate carrier system since the transport of other compounds which utilize this carrier, aminopterin, 5-methyltetrahydrofolate, and 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, is affected similarly to methotrexate, whereas, the transport of folic acid, a compound similar in structure and charge but not significantly transported by this carrier is unaffected by liposomes. Once cells are exposed to charged liposomes, the effects on methotrexate transport cannot be reversed by washing the cells free of the extracellular liposomes. If, however, cells are exposed to liposomes of one charge, washed and then exposed to liposomes of the opposite charge, methotrexate influx is reversed to control rates. The effects of charged liposomes on methotrexate influx were not abolished by treating the cells with neuraminidase, metabolic inhibitors or lowering the temperature to 4 degrees C. Studies on the uptake of [14C] liposomes show that these effects are not proportional to the total amount of lipid associated with the cell but result from an initial rapid liposome-cell association that is not dependent on temperature or energy metabolism nor related to cell surface charge.

A spin-label study of the correlation between stomatocyte formation and membrane fluidization of erythrocytes

Change in the membrane fluidity of human erythrocytes on transformation to stomatocytes was observed by ESR spectroscopy using 12-doxyl stearic acid or its methyl ester as a probe. When the transformation to stomatocytes was induced by four qualitatively different methods, i.e. (a) addition of cationic amphiphilic agents such as chloropromazine, tetracaine, chloroquine or primaquine, (b) addition of Triton X-100, a non-ionic detergent, (c) lowering the pH, and (d) depleting membrane cholesterol, membrane fluidization was always observed. This indicates the existence of a close correlation between stomatocyte formation and increase in the membrane fluidity. Furthermore, since the stomatocytes fixed by diamide treatment exhibited membrane fluidization only in the presence of the reagent, the enhanced membrane fluidity was a direct consequence of the reagent interacting with, and changing the state of, the lipid bilayer itself, and not through the influence of some structural alteration of spectrin. These results provide experimental support for the theoretical prediction made by Brailsford et al. [J. theoret. Biol. 86, 531 (1980)]. Plausible mechanisms for the discocyte-stomatocyte transformation are discussed.

Calorimetric studies on various gangliosides and ganglioside-lipid interactions

Differential scanning calorimetry was used to investigate the thermotropic behaviour of various gangliosides differing in size and in the net negative charge. It was found that the number and the position of the negative charges in the headgroup region influence strongly the phase transition profiles. Interaction of GM1 ganglioside with egg phosphatidylcholine or cholesterol was also investigated. GM1 is completely miscible with egg phosphatidylcholine, giving only one transition peak at all ratios of the two components, implying that when gangliosides are in a more fluid lipid environment in biological membranes they will be randomly distributed. Interaction with cholesterol decreases the enthalpy of melting of the ganglioside. The decrease in enthalpy reaches a plateau at about 30 mol% cholesterol, suggesting a lower affinity of cholesterol for gangliosides than for sphingomyelin.

Cholesterol esterification by rat adrenal gland. Inhibition by local anesthetics in vitro

Cholesterol esterification was studied in rat adrenal gland, adrenal homogenates and isolated adrenal microsomes. In whole gland and homogenates, the local anesthetic, lidocaine, inhibited the incorporation of [1-14C]oleate and [1-14C]oleoyl-CoA, respectively, into labeled cholesteryl esters in a dose-dependent manner. Inhibition of sterol esterification in the preparations reached 50% at about 2 mM. Various other local anesthetics (tetracaine, dibucaine and benzocaine) also inhibited sterol esterification in adrenal homogenates but were more potent than lidocaine; in each case, 90% inhibition occurred at anesthetic levels of 1 mM. Since sterol esterification in the adrenal gland is a function of microsomal acyl-CoA: cholesterol acyltransferase (EC 2.3.1.26), the enzyme was assayed in isolated adrenal microsomes in the presence of lidocaine while using [14C]oleoyl-CoA as a substrate for labeled cholesteryl ester formation. Inhibition of the enzymes by lidocaine was confirmed, with 50% inhibition occurring between 0.5 and 0.75 mM lidocaine. Lidocaine may be useful as a tool in studies on the regulation of adrenal sterol esterification.

Rate of lateral diffusion of intramembrane particles: measurement by electrophoretic displacement and rerandomization

A method combining electrophoresis and freeze-fracture electron microscopy is described; the method was used to determine the lateral diffusion coefficient of intramembrane particles (integral proteins) in the mitochondrial inner membrane. An electric current was passed through microsuspensions of purified, spherical inner membranes at pH 7.4, which caused an electrophoretic migration of intramembrane particles in the membrane plane into a single, crowded patch facing the positive electrode. The membrane microsuspensions were quick-frozen at specified times after the packed particles were released from the electrophoretic force and while the particles were diffusing back to a random distribution. Observed concentration gradients of intramembrane particles during this time were quantitatively compared with and found to follow a mathematical model for Fickian diffusion of particles on a spherical membrane. The results determine the kinetics of free diffusion of integral proteins at the resolution of individual proteins. The diffusion coefficient of the integral proteins in the mitochondrial inner membrane was determined to be 8.3 X 10(-10) cm2/sec at 20 degrees C, from which a root-mean-square displacement of 57 nm in 10 msec is predicted.

Effects of temperature and pH on the water exchange through erythrocyte membranes: nuclear magnetic resonance studies

The temperature and pH dependence of water exchange has been studied on isolated erythrocytes suspended in isotonic buffered solutions. At pH 7.4 a break in the Arrhenius plot of water exchange time at around 26 degrees C was found. The mean value of the apparent activation energy of the water exchange time at temperatures higher than that of the discontinuity was 5.7 kcal/mole (+/- 0.4); at lower temperatures the values of the apparent activation energy were below 1.4 kcal/mole. The pH dependence of water exchange time of isolated erythrocytes revealed a marked increase of the water exchange time values in the acid range of pH; a much smaller variation of the same parameter occurs between pH 7.0 and 8.0. These finding could be correlated with other processes involving erythrocyte membranes that showed similar pH and temperature dependence and were considered to indicate state transitions in the membranes. It is suggested that the temperature and pH effects on water diffusion indicate that conformational changes and cooperative effects are implicated in the mechanism of this transport process.

The effect of local anesthetics on arterial lipid metabolism. Inhibition of sterol esterification in vitro

The local anesthetics lidocaine, tetracaine, benzocaine and dibucaine were found to inhibit sterol esterification by acylCoA:cholesterol acyltransferase (ACAT, EC 2.3.1.26) in the microsomal fraction isolated from rabbit aortas. In arterial microsomes, the incorporation of [14C]oleoylCoA into [14C]steryl esters was inhibited in a dose-dependent way by the anesthetics over the concentration range 0.25-5.0 mM. The potency of inhibition was dibucaine greater than benzocaine greater than tetracaine greater than lidocaine greater than procaine with inhibition of about 85% occurring with 0.25 mM dibucaine. Sterol esterification to [14C]oleic acid was also inhibited by the anesthetics in intact aortic tissue from the rabbit, dog, and rat. A detailed study of the effects of 5 mM lidocaine on lipid biosynthesis in the rabbit aorta in vitro revealed that lidocaine not only inhibited sterol esterification to [14C]oleate but stimulated [14C]oleate incorporation into glycerides.

Effects of anesthetic alcohols on membrane transport processes in human erythrocytes

1. Anesthetic alcohols (pentanol, hexanol and heptanol) were found to increase the fluidity of red cell membrane lipids as monitored by the fluorescence depolarization of diphenylhexatriene. The relative potency of the alcohols was found to be parallel to their relative membrane/water partition coefficients. 2. Hexanol had biphasic effect on erythritol uptake by simple diffusion by red cells. At concentrations less than 9 mM, there was an approximately linear increase in erythritol permeability with increasing alcohol concentration. 3. The facilitated transport of uridine was markedly inhibited by hexanol. Hexanol at 6 mM produced a 65% inhibition of uridine (4 mM) uptake. Hexanol decreased both the apparent Km and V values for the equilibrium exchange of uridine. 4. The facilitated transport of galactose was only slightly inhibited by hexanol. 5. Hexanol was without effect on the passive and active fluxes of Na+ and K+ in red cells with altered cation contents. Cells that were slightly depleted of K+ and cells that were highly K+ -depleted were both insensitive to hexanol.

Erythrocyte membrane topo-optical staining reflects glycoprotein conformational changes

The study is concerned with the relationship of induced birefringence to conformational alterations of glycocalyx glycoproteins. Human erythrocytes washed with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and fixed with glutaraldehyde exhibit the most intense topo-optical staining, which is thought to reflect the lipid bound state of glycophorins. Incubations at reduced pH, in hypotonic media or in the presence of procaine resulted in a significant decline of induced anisotropy. The effects were not due to degradation of glycocalyx constituents. Erythrocytes subjected to treatments with procaine or at pH 6x2 suffered from loss of electrophoretic velocity, a finding indicative of rearrangement of cell surface glycoproteins. by example of the red blood cell the findings of this study confirm the premised suggestion of the sensible detection by topo-optical toluidine blue staining of the conformational state of glycoproteins of the glycocalyx.